


Carry you home

by buttpatrol



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Sad Sad Ben Arnold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 16:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7112869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttpatrol/pseuds/buttpatrol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A coda to the latest episode.</p><p>It’s too bad the love of your life isn’t as simple a thing to replace as a sugar glider.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carry you home

The squad car’s headlights hit the row of tall pines surrounding the Jennings’s place and sure enough, there’s Ben sitting alone on the doorstep, one of Mary’s quilts wrapped around his shoulders. Ben looks pale as a ghost, and it’s so dead strange to see him looking so defeated.

In elementary school Ben had always picked fight boys bigger than him, which in truth most of ‘em. Troy had been tall and lanky like a bean pole, and always felt vaguely self-conscious about it, but he wouldn’t have dared to stand up to half the boys that Ben Arnold did.

Of course, Ben usually got the snot kicked outta him. Troy would shrug and piggyback Ben down to his mother’s. Ben’d be scuffed up, bruised and still mad as hornets’ nest, and Mrs. Arnold would look at the pair of them with a long suffering sigh. “Brought your son home, Ma’am.” Troy would offer solemnly.

So you know when Ben gives up, things are  _ real  _ bad.

He’d been real upset about the sugar-glider thing as kids. Troy had felt real tore up about hurting his friend like that. Sugar Gliders were against the rules and Troy had thought he had been doing the right thing. Troy knows now that sometimes you gotta break a few rules to the right thing, which is maybe a bad trait in a police officer but a good trait in a friend.

It’s too bad the love of your life isn’t as simple a thing to replace as a sugar glider.

Troy parks the car.

“Hey Ben.”

“Hi Troy.” Ben’s voice sounds hoarse, like he’s been yelling.

“Sammy called me. Are you okay.”

“I-I think I fucked up.”

Troy looked up at the house where the kitchen light was still on. “You did, a little. But Mary will forgive you.”

Ben looks up at him, his face a mix of guilt and panic, “Jesus, I was trying to break down Mary and Tim’s door in the middle of the night. If Sammy hadn’t of talked me down-“

“But he did,” Troy cuts him off bluntly. “Mary’ll understand. Maybe better than anyone. We are on your side buddy.”

“Troy--“ Ben creaked, his voice breaking over the vowels.

“Ben. No one is mad at you. No one blames you. Well except Greg Frickert, but everyone knows he is an inbred little sonnovabitch anyway. If you want to blame someone you ought to blame me.”

“Troy--“ Ben tried again, standing up.

“No buts. It’s my job to protect the people of this town. Fine job I am doing. Government officials abusing their powers. People going missing and turning up in Lake Hatchinaw.  And now Miss Potter scooped up by unknown forces under our noses. I was on duty Ben. And me, stuck up in the cemetery useless as a screen door on a submarine.”

“You couldn’t have known—“

“And neither could you Ben. Look folk care about you. We want Emily home safe, but we want you safe too,  _ alright?  _ Your mother’s been worried half to death.”

“She shouldn’t—”

“She loves you Ben. I heard her talkin’ to Sammy to tonight on the show. They are both right worried about you. Sammy too.”

Ben seemed deflate at that. “Shit. I’m  _ so  _ fired.”

“No you ain’t. Sammy’s a bit of a cipher at times, but I know that he likes you a lot. I don’t think he has had as good of a friend as you before.” Troy had always felt a kinship that way with Sammy. They both knew what it was like to love someone, but also accept that life has them on a different path than you. “He loves you, and dang it, I… I love you too. And  you know Emily loved you. With her whole heart. And she wouldn’t want you to blame yourself either.”

Ben looked up at him, through his eyelashes, so sad and raw, “She was calling me for help. She was saying my name and then she was gone.”

“I know buddy. I know.” Troy says, and he pulls Ben towards him.

Ben buries his face in Troy’s uniform, and they both stand like that for a while. Ben trying not to cry on Troy’s uniform, and Troy trying to save Ben the embarrassment by trying not to notice the way his breath caught.

After a while they break apart and Troy says. “Let's go home. I will drop you off at your mother’s. Me and Sammy will bring you over an order from Rose’s in the morning.” He secretly doubts that Sammy will patient enough to wait that long, and will probably drive over as soon as his shift ends or he can get Chet to cover for him.

They get in the car, and make their way down the mountain. The lights of King Falls nestled in the valley below, once again bringing Mrs. Arnold’s son home.

 


End file.
